Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1887-05-02
Four Million Feet OF Logs Carried
Away at Somerset Mills and
Gardiner.
A Bridge Reported to Have Been
Swept Away at Kingman.
The Waters Recedins and no Further
Damage Anticipated.
| Special to the kennebec Journal. I

Special to the Kennebec Journal
GARDIsER May l.
In response to the bell which has rung
at 3 O'Clock Saturday morning the merchants
fastened to their respective stores to carry
goods stored in the cellars TO place of safe
ty, as water was rapidly flowing into them.
Many had wisely transferred their merchan-
disc the previous night, hence they were not
losers; but those who did not lost more or
less by their negligence. Much anxiety wa.
felt Friday and Saturday in regard to the
close to the water works station, as that dam
holds the water for distance of fifteen miles
and If it had been washed away the result
would have been disastrous to the manufac-
turing interests along the stream. Their anx.
iety was increased Saturday and their fears
werenot allayed until all danger was passed
Our Older citizens do not remember of having
seen such high water since 1884, at which
almost overflowed the upper step of the John
son House.
At O'Clock NJ the water in the coli
scum building was nearly up to the ticket
Office floor. A. p Berry drove over the
crusewsv at about that time and the water
tonche d the springs of the wagon. Tons of
of rocks were placed on the first bridge to-
ward Augusta to keep it in its proper place
The water IN the greater number of the eel.
lars was i've feet deep and not only in those
on the east side but the west too, as the wa
ter in the stream in the rear of the stores
was forced back by that in the river until it
was on a level with the latter as far as the
first dam up the stream, hence the wat in
the sewers was forced back into the cellars
of the stores on the west side and they were
in as bad a predicament as their neighbors on
the opposite side 1t did much damage to
those on the westerly side as the propretors
had not anticipated snch an event. Il. +.
Little estimated his loss at S2500; Geo. +.
Warren, the druggist, did not remove his
goods from the cellar in time to prevent
them from getting wet, although his loss is a
slight one, as they were mostly bottles of
medicine. Frank w. Cox, the boot and
shoe dealer, had small lot of goods in his
cellar which he could not get out on account
of the rapidly rising water. He also had a
quantity OF goods in the Great China Tea
Co. store which he did not save, and the wa
ter in the cellar thereof was nine feet deep
during the early part of SATURDAY.. Num-
bers of others had pershabe and non per-
ishable goods in their cellars which were not
taken out before they were soaked with wa
ter. From to 10 A. NJ. the water in the
cellars had risen four inches. The schooner
L. Edw ards, lying alongside Grays wharf
was securely fastened or else she would have
tloated over the wharf, as the water was of q
sufficient depth to have allowed it. The
breakwater pier just north of the bridge was
completely hidden from sight and the water
not many feet from the floor of the G.. &
X. bridge at one time. Blanchard & Milton
could not work Saturday as their shops and
yards were submerged. II also necessitated
the moving of the horses in VIM. Jewell &
Sons stable.
At 10 o'clock A. NJ large crowd assem-
bled on the platform of the Name Central
Railroad station to witness the outgoing of
the Brown Island boom logs. Bradstreet
Bros. witnessed their one million feet of logs
going toward the sea which had been stored
in the boom. and II w Jewell & Co.. j.
Gray and others were losers OF nearly auoth-
er million feet. At 2. NJ the water was
still rising in the cellars and nearly touched
the floors of the stores.
One of the laughable incidents connected
with the food was that of a young man who
tt nds ont in a fruit and confectionery store
near the railroad station. He in the
! cellar trying to ascertain the depth of the
water, when he accidentally slipped, and
with splash he found himself up to his arm
pits in the cold water. He returned home
and after drying his clothes resumed work a
| far wiser young man.
7P. M.-The water in the cellars rose six
inches tins afternoon or one inch an hour,
and is sull rising. 1t is within five or six
inches of some of the floors. The entry
floor of the coliseum is covered with water
TWO inches deep and the sidewalk therefrom
to Tasker's stable is afoat At o'clock a
person who desired to gain entrance into
Taskers stable was obliged to walk through
| one foot of water from Savage's barber shop.
HALLowELL, May |.
The freshet of Saturday is the highest we
have had since the great ice freshet of Feb.
| 20, 1870 The water flooded the cellars of
stores on both sides of Water street. and in
some stores came onto the street floor. Ii
was across the street near the post office.
.sJoppa" was nearly all under water, people
sailing in boats from Leigh & Wingste's 10
where the old Curier tavern stood. Many
families in that part of the city were driven
to the second story of their houses, and some
| had to leave them entirely. But little prop
| erty WAS lost as the owners had sufficient
warning to move it. Some buildings were
damaged. The freight houses on steamboat
wharf tioated but were secured by being
| hauled up back OF Norcross's marble shop
A lot of lumber fioated off from Millken's
saw mill, but most of it was secured below.
RICHMOND, May !.
| The river has been rising steadily, and
| Saturday mornjDp was high enough to dam.
age freight stored in the steamboat wharf
freight house. The water is higher than il
his been for years, but no serious damage i:
anticipated along our shores.
OAKLAND, May /.
very heavy freshet The water in the
| Messelonskee is higher than it has ever been
known before. The water in the hammer
shop of the Dunn Edge Tool Co., will aver
age two and one-half feet. The lower fool
of the foundry and machine shop of the Dus'